[ack84]

Long time listener, first time poster I'm a casual audiophile interested in any suggestions for enjoying hiphop/rap with serious bass, preferably within the AU$200 range.

A pair of Marshall Mode EQ IEMs had served me well these past few years but recently frayed. I took a chance on a pair of Sony MH755s and have been pleasantly surprised, although the BT performance (using the Sony SBH56, which the headphones came bundled with) left much to be desired due to a noticble drop in max volume.

As I'm soon to purchase an iPhone SE 2020, finding some way to use these wirelessly (I prefer not to connect via the lightening port) lead me to consider buying a better performing (?) BT Amp/DAC - I'm eagerly awaiting release of FiiO's BTR3K in Australia. As a result, all options are on the table.

Appreciate any guidance on suitable solution to the above, mthks!

 

[Infoseeker]

I would say a Final Audio E5000 for best in class for bass, but it probably needs a btr5 not the 3k to get loud.

Probably the Shuoer Tape would be good for the btr3k. Good bass, but it is V signature.

Sony XBA-N3 would be better than the Tape for more money.

 

[ack84]

Thanks for your reply, @Infoseeker.

Unless I misinterpretted, you say "V signature" like it's a bad thing. Should I be looking for something more weighty/warm instead or a different signature all together?

The E5000 and XBA-N3 are both stretching my budget, so I'm more inclined towards the Shuoer.

 

[Infoseeker]

No its not a bad thing at all. Youbare correct.

 

[KeyStar]

ack84 Can recommend the FiiO BT3K highly lovely signature sound that would please many and seems to drive my Blon 03/05 very well and is a nice match to my Monndrop Starfield ..for these iems it's been a perfect fit for me and Portability wise it's great.
As for base seeing as the Sequel to the FiiO BTR5 is due in July it may be worth waiting for that as infoseeker suggests as I'm sure it will give you the slam you need.
Always worth a trial on both if you can to see if your happy with the sound.

 

[ack84]

Thanks, @KeyStar.

What am I overlooking with regard to the BTR3K vs 5 in terms of bass?

 

[ack84]

Ok, so I've been looking into this, presume you're both referring to the difference in output power between the BTR5 and 3K?

From FiiO's website:

Model	BTR5	BTR3K
3.5mm Headphone Output@32Ω	80mW	25mW

Using my MH755 as a reference, it's maximum input power is 70 mW, so the BTR5 would be overkill (?).

And, compared to 10mW output power of the SBH56 (which my MH755 came bundled with), the BTR3K would be a step up (and explains my earlier observation about low volume when listening via BT vs 3.5mm).

Finally, I compared the frequency graphs on Crinacle's database of the Tape and the MH755. There was very little to discern in the sub bass range, and the MH755 doesn't exhibit the same spike as the Tape in the 3K range, which is discussed at length in the impressions thread. Therefore, I think I'll stick with my MH755 but pair with the BTR3K.

Thanks for your suggestions, and for steering me towards an answer

 

[IEMusic]

Regarding a recommendation for an IEM with a lot of bass, I’d consider the TFZ No.3 and the BLON BL03.

The No.3 has more sub bass than the BL03, and also has more upper mids and treble quantity. It is more V-shaped. The mids are recessed, but not as much as one would think. The treble extension of the No.3 is less than the BL03, with minimal response above 10KHz.

IMO, the BL03 has a more balanced tuning, and I like the sound signature more overall.

The ThieAudio Legacy 3 is another one to consider. It is probably my favorite IEM right now. It has less bass than the BL03, but still plenty of it.

I like the Shuoer Tape for certain kinds of music, but it has a very colored sound, and is unique. There is a huge peak around 3.5 KHz, that can make the upper mids sound very “shouty”.